Mary and I spent a couple of days in Des Moines recently for a family gathering, and from there we drove to Redwood Falls for our grandson’s confirmation.
We were a couple of hours into our trip when we pulled into a Kwik Star gas station. For whatever reason, what we know as Kwik Trips in Minnesota they call Kwik Stars in Iowa.
On our way out the door headed to our car, I noticed this girl digging through the trash receptacle. At first I thought she was looking for recyclables or maybe she had dropped something in there by mistake. She wasn’t wearing shoes or socks – she maybe was about 25 years old and looked a little disheveled.
Once we reached our car, I started to eat my breakfast sandwich while leaning on the hood of the car. I watched the girl pick out a bucket of popcorn that someone had tossed away. Next she pulled out a clear plastic container filled with chicken bones.
I thought, “Oh my word; she’s looking for something to eat.”
I watched as she went to the other side of the entryway and started digging through that trash container.
She never asked any of the customers that were coming and going for any money; in fact, she never bothered a soul.
I felt so sorry for her and a little guilty for enjoying my breakfast sandwich while she was rummaging through the garbage for something to eat. I had to offer her some help.
I started walking toward her as she made her way around the corner of the building. I hustled around the corner to catch up to her, and as I turned the corner, I almost ran into her while she was seated at a concrete picnic table enjoying a meal of other people’s garbage.
I had a $20 bill in hand ready to give to her so she could go buy herself something to eat.
Much to my surprise, she turned down my offer. I tried again to give her the money and again she refused.
She told me she was thirsty, and if I wanted to get her something to drink, that would be great.
I returned with some vitamin water and a third offer of the twenty. This time she told me she was trying to kick her drug addiction, and if she had cash, she would only try to buy drugs with it. She told me that she had been clean for a short while and was trying to stay that way.
Just a few minutes earlier I was feeling sorry for this person, and now I was admiring her. No matter what I thought of her current situation, she felt it was better than her life on drugs.
It’s been a couple of weeks since I met this person, but I can’t stop thinking about her. I didn’t get her name, I know nothing about her other than what you just read.
Yet, in a crazy kind of way, the person I tried to help has helped me more than she’ll ever know.